About

For a simplified list of functions please view the CSV 2 POST Plugin page however I recommend reading this for a wider idea of not just my importcsv plugin but the service around it.

Ryan and CSV 2 POST

CSV 2 POST is a data import plugin for using on WordPress blogs. Specifically it allows csv import and the publishing of blog posts using any imported data. This includes old backups of WordPress blogs, company data, email archives, affiliate feeds and any other data. This plugin delivers far more ease than any other csv import tool and is under constant development to ensure that it pushes competition aside. In it’s first three months it may have already matched all other similiar plugins like it and there is far more coming for CSV 2 POST Plus!

The plugin was developed by Ryan Bayne from WebTechGlobal, a University graduate with BSc Degree in Web Design & Development. Ryan discontinued University believing that in the current economy of 2009 it was better to begin work experiance as soon as possible. This led him to explore WordPress and realise the potential it has. Eventually while trying to make use of thousands of rows data from affiliate datafeed services. Ryan realised that there was no good csv import plugin or script and begun to code his own. The resulting script quickly became Ryan’s first plugin and was made available for free on the WordPress plugin directory.

Soon afterwards the CSV 2 POST Plus edition of the plugin was created because Ryan realised that the approach he took with the interface was the key to a quick success but there was still much work to be done. In order to spend time on development the plugin had to be sold so Ryan took the decision to provide a free edition of CSV 2 POST and a paid edition that would gradually become far more advanced than its free counterpart.

The “New Campaign” Experiance

Once you get to know CSV 2 POST Plus things can be so quick it’s a dream. The plugin is new so the interface has stumbled into place in some places but I’m always here to help if there is anything your not sure about. Once you have your csv file, lets say you downloaded it from Commission Junction, Affiliate Window or another affiliate network. You don’t have to edit the file for it to work with CSV 2 POST so straight away it’s a dream come true. You click on “New Campaign” on the CSV 2 POST plugin menu and you are arrive at stage one. You enter a few important pieces of information and upload your csv file.

Stage 2

The next stage, two out of five; is the first unique interface you will see and that is when you know CSV 2 POST stands out from other plugins. On stage two of the new campaign process you instantly see a list of your csv file columns. The plugin uses the first row as the names and this is the only real requirement of your file; row 1 must be titles of your columns for better interface intuition. You then pair each column up with a part of your post content and once you get the hang of it you can do it in a minute. You also get to select exactly what columns to use for your meta data and wordpress tags, it’s fun!

Stage 3

After stage two is stage three and thats very simple. Simply make an option out of 3 possible; Publish, Pending or Draft. That is it and it might seem like very little for a whole stage in the new campaign process however it is a very import setting. I don’t want people publishing thousands of posts when they are not meant to or putting them all in draft and having to manually publish them all. So for maximum focus on this setting it got it’s own page, plus there will probably more settings later for scheduling the publication of posts.

Stage 4

So we’re at stage four and usually I get here in 2 minute easy so I myself think CSV 2 POST is very quick to use, once you know how obviously! Stage four is “Custom Fields” and you can select the “Automated” setting which will create custom fields using all of your data and the custom field names will be the names of your columns. If your theme and blog is not new and already relies on existing custom fields then simply rename your csv column titles to match the names of custom fields already used. It’s that easy, you select automated then hit submit. Lets say you do that with a csv file that has 12 columns of data, you will end up with 12 custom fields in your posts. Even if the data is used in the post content it will still be put in custom fields which can be used for some serious expansion later.

Stage 5

Finally we’re at the last stage, stage five! This might be the one that makes you buy CSV 2 POST Plus right now no joke. You can automatically create 3 levels of categories if you have 3 columns of data already setup for it. It’s as quick as selecting your columns holding your categories in three drop down menus, select “Automated” and your done. The entire CSV 2 POST New Campaign process is finished and before you know it the plugin will be injecting new posts to your blog in seconds. If a category does not exist it will be created and your blog will slowly built from a blank theme to a content filled website. You can make this happen in the same time it takes you to read this and I’ll help you every step of the way.

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